Engaging Schools in Supporting Grieving Children Friday, June 21 10:30 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. Presenters: Chris Park, David Schonfeld, Brook Griese, Micki Burns 1

FOR REGISTERED REPRESENTATIVE USE ONLY. NOT FOR USE WITH THE GENERAL PUBLIC In 2012, the New York Life Foundation in partnership with the American Federation of Teachers conducted a national poll aiming to alert teachers, counselors and staff to the prevalence of childhood loss and the need and opportunity to better support grieving children. Key Findings  Most Educators Interact with Grieving Students  7 in 10 teachers (69%) currently have at least one student in their class(es) who has lost a parent, guardian, sibling, or close friend in the past year  The vast majority of classroom teachers said they had interactions over the past year with a student who had lost a parent, guardian, sibling or close friend at some point in their lives. Those teachers reported, on average, interacting over the last year with eight students who had experienced such a loss.  Childhood Grief Is Often Overlooked By Schools, School Systems  92 percent of educators – including teachers, aides, counselors and staff – say childhood grief is a serious problem that deserves more attention from schools  50 percent of classroom teachers gave their school a grade of C or lower for the job it does in helping them support grieving students 2012 Educator Poll: Key Findings June 5,

FOR REGISTERED REPRESENTATIVE USE ONLY. NOT FOR USE WITH THE GENERAL PUBLIC Key Findings Cont. June 5,  Among Classroom Teachers, Grief Training, Continuing Education Lacking  93 percent of classroom teachers say they’ve never received bereavement training; only 3 percent say their district offers any  Less than half of educators report that their school has a protocol for how to respond when a student experiences a close personal death  89 percent of teachers agree that there should be a greater focus on training educators to support grieving students.  Of the various factors that might hinder educators from supporting grieving students, the most frequently cited hindrance was insufficient training and/or professional development (cited by 63 percent of classroom teachers) Educators Express Abiding Concern for Grieving Students and Interest in Training  94 percent of educators report that they sometimes worry about their grieving students outside of class and in their spare time.  More than nine in 10 teachers (93%) indicated that they would attend a two- or three-hour training session on child bereavement if it were offered at their school Training, Public Support Can Make a Measurable Difference  Teachers trained in childhood bereavement are significantly more likely than their untrained peers to collaborate and communicate when dealing with a grieving student and are less likely to feel frustrated that they do not know how to help  88 percent of teachers believe that the support of classmates and friends is important to a grieving student’s healing process.

FOR REGISTERED REPRESENTATIVE USE ONLY. NOT FOR USE WITH THE GENERAL PUBLIC June 5,